6 Ideas for Landscaping With Natural Elements

The last thing any homeowner wants is an ugly lawn standing out like a sore thumb in the front or backyard. It’s rather unfortunate some of the components that complete a home usually end up distorting it.

For example, drainage pipes and ditches that divert water from the foundations of a house usually end up making it look unsightly and mar the beauty of the house.

Fortunately, meticulous landscaping can conceal or lessen the impact of any drainage ditch or unsightly pipes.

The beauty of it all is that you don’t need to spend too much money on enhancing the elegance your home because these could be projects that you personally undertake in your spare time.

The following six landscaping techniques can ensure that you retain all the drainage pipes and ditches which your house needs while having a beautiful lawn all around your property.

Beauty and functionality can go hand in hand and make your home into a green haven of joy not only for you and your family but to those visitors who see it as well.

And they are so easy to do.

1. Dry Stream Beds

Dry streambeds when properly handled will add beauty to your lawn while providing a drainage passage for any surplus water.

They not only hold the soil in place preventing erosion but also take water away from your garden and turn an otherwise eyesore into a beautiful addition to your surroundings.

The dry streambed can be enhanced by ground cover plants that absorb moisture when planted at the edges of the stream, and which create a beautiful connection between your lawn and any graveled surface.

2. French Drains

French Drains are another way of dealing with excess water that would otherwise collect and flood your lawn.

It is a handy and resourceful construction which is fairly simple to put together.

With the right tools and materials, as well as DIY, know how this is an important drainage contraption that will keep your yard dry and plants healthy.

3. Swales

Swales not only drain water away from your lawn, they also bring water to your garden bed, keeping it as moist as you need it to be.

You could decide to surround your garden with swales and these will enable rainwater to soak into the ground slowly and eventually be distributed evenly throughout the area.

Swales are an excellent way of preventing soil erosion and will also reduce the effort and time required to water your lawn manually.

4. Vegetated Ditch

Vegetated ditches can become ideal drainage areas when planted with native grasses, sedges, and rushes as they can withstand periods of drought and heavy moisture.

Instead of destroying the vegetation in the ditches around your property, these can be tended to help your lawn.

The vegetation slows down erosion and the movement of silt.

In addition, the roots of the vegetation in the ditches keep the environment clean and healthy by trapping fertilizers and other chemicals in the drainage water, which are prevented from harming the local waterways.

5. Evergreen Hedges

It will be an exercise in futility to have a beautifully manicured lawn, only for the wind and sun to destroy it with their intensity. This is where creating windbreakers and windscreens come to your aid.

Evergreen Hedges can not only be used for security and privacy to your property, but they also act as windbreaks.

You could use small trees exclusively or decide to add shrubs to make the green hedge stronger.

Hedges can be allowed to grow naturally and then trimmed to a particular size and shape to add beauty to your property.

There’s a wide variety of plants that can be used for this and a visit to your local tree nursery should enable you to get the right ones for your property.

6. Windbreakers or Windscreens

Windscreens are an aid to your landscaping because they allow just enough air through to keep your garden well aerated.

Leafy shrubs and trees are ideal for this purpose. In addition, these wind breakers are they trees or shrubs, screen the ground plants from the harsh effects of the sun in summer, and during winter they trap snow that would otherwise destroy your lawn.

Windbreakers will also reduce heating costs for you by lowering the wind chill near your home.

Ideal windbreakers and screens should be able to filter 50 to 60% of the wind and reduce its strength.

When building windbreakers and wind screens, ensure that they are wider than the area they are to protect and no wind should be able to slip through the sides.

Shrubs and trees should be planted fairly close together for better effect and then they should be pruned annually to keep them dense.

Some trees and shrubs that would make good wind breakers are the Mountain Ash, Crepe Myrtle, Cabbage Palm for coastal gardens, Hawthorne, Italia Alder, Sea Buckthorn and Small Leafed Lime.

Your perfectly landscaped natural lawn with its natural windbreakers should give your home the beauty it deserves, and will also mark up the value of your property.

Sharing is Caring!